How Sunderland can prosper in the loanee market this summer
Of the 22 players who started last week’s Championship play-off final between Luton Town and Coventry City, six of them had been signed on loan - predominantly from Premier League clubs.
Marvelous Nakamba, Cody Dram eh and goal keeper Ethan Horvath were all big parts of Luton’s promotion campaign, while Brooke Norton-Cuffy, Luke McNally and Callum Doyle had become regular starters for the Sky Blues.
Looking at other teams which excelled during the 2022/23 season, champions Burnley had four loan players who started at least 29 league games each (Taylor HarwoodBellis, Nathan Tella, Ian Maatsen and Jordan Beyer), while second-place Sheffield United benefit ted from taking ManchesterCity duo James M cA tee and Tommy Doyle on temporary deals.
Sunderland also fall into the category of Championship clubs who used the loan system effectively, acquiring the services of Amad Diallo, Edouard Michut, Joe Gelhardt and Ellis Simms.
With Simms, we may have been reminded about the potential flaws when signing players on loan, after the 22-year-old was abruptly recalled by Everton in January to leave the Black Cats short of attacking options.
Still, that probably said more about The Toffees’ desperate position rather than Sunderland’s transfer approach, while a return to Merseyside
didn’t appear to suit a player who started just two league games in the second half of the campaign.
On the flip side, while it would be favourable to sign players on permanent deals, the loan market allowed Sunderland to acquire a talent like Amad, who would otherwise be unattainable after costing Manchester United a reported £19million, plus a further £18.2million in add-ons, in 2021.
The 20-year-old’s skill and match-winning ability helped Tony Mowbray’s side make an unlikely charge into the playoffs, while reinforcing the point that Sunderland is now a place where young players can flourish or get their careers back on track.
Before moving to Wear side, Amad had struggled during a loan spell at Rangers as doubts began to grow over his potential. This season his confidence has been restored.
With the highest average attendances in the Championship (39,328 for the 2022/23 season), Sunderland offers a Premier League-type environment for top-tier clubs to send their up-and-coming prospects.
It’s also been shown that young players, including those on loan, will receive opportunities on Wear side. According to Wy scout, the Black Cats’ squad had the second lowest average age in the second tier this season (24.6), behind only Blackburn (24.5).
On an individual level, Simms was clearly benefiting from playing regularly at Sunderland, scoring seven goals in 17 Championship appearances, while Mic hut ,20, made significantprogress while adapting to the demands of senior football.
Even Gelhardt, who admitted it was challenging leading the line by himself in the absence of Ross Stewart, was able to start 12 successive senior games for the first time in his career, and looks set to be a big part of Leeds’ attempts to win promotion back to the Premier League.